Except for the Snow Bunny’s, most of us are vegetating indoors hiding from the -20 degree weather. It is time to pull ourselves away from our computers, televisions and, yes, even our books.

Victor/Farmington Food Cupboard needs your help. Surely, you can spare two hours a week. It takes all Residents to manage a well-run community and you are one of our Residents.

Our Food Cupboard is self-sustaining, and our community is proud of that fact. What is a self-sustaining Food Cupboard? It relies primarily on Volunteers and donations from inside its own Community. We take care of our own neighbors. The number of family’s that cannot put food on their table is growing every month, despite the rumor that our Town is “well-off”. How do we know that? The school district is getting an increasing number of students that need meal assistance. The Food Cupboard is getting an increasing amount of applications from clients asking for food to feed their families. At this time, they serve 500-600 Clients a month.

Distribution Center- V/F Food Cupboard

Months/Days/Hours needed: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays from 5:15pm to 7:30pm. Choose a day(s) that works for you.

Description: The mission of the V/F Food Cupboard is to treat clients with dignity and respect. The Cupboard services Victor, Farmington, and the surrounding towns. Volunteers needed to assist clients with food selection and help carry food out to cars during open Food Cupboard hours.

When you visit “Ganondagan Native American Games and SportsFestival“, keep in mind some of the rich history that occurred in this Iroquois Village.

Indians first wandered into our vicinity 11,000 years ago. Victor residents are just a speck on the time line of the Indian’s residency here. The Seneca’s Ganondagan Indian Tribe re- located here in the year 1500.

The original name of this Seneca Indian Village “Ganondagan” on Boughton Hill changed back in 1981 from the past European version “Gannagaro.”

Ganondagan’s name is associated to the Peace Queen, Jikohnsaseh. She initiated the League of Iroquois. Seneca oral history claims that she was buried under a blanket of fresh-water pearls.

This nine acre Village occupied an amazingly large oval between 600′x900′.

Historians approximate that there were 75 longhouses in “Ganondagan” Village clustered amidst cornfields and forest.

A mile and a half to the west, they built a palisade (a wall made of extremely tall logs) that surrounded the 16 level acres at the top of “Fort Hill”. This enormous palisade enclosed their large supply of corn.

On July11, 1687 the French, along with some of their Ally’s annihilated the Ganondagan Village- a sad result from the inter-tribal “Beaver Wars” and the French taking control over the fur trade.

Find out more facts at the Festival this Saturday, February 5 from 10:00-4:00pm.

If you have not looked at the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans put out by the United States Department of Agriculture, you will be in for quite a surprise. A few years ago, the Federal Government took a thorough look at the entire topic of American health habits. The newer food pyramid -for those of you who have not learned this already from your kids in school- has a completely new look to it. Instead of dealing with confusing portions that always seemed so confusing to me, they now deal with actual measurements (cups and ounces). At the bottom of the pyramid, they have included the necessary amount of Physical Activity and Discretionary Calories (Sweets) per day.

That is only the beginning of what they offer on their website. Kids health games and activities, menu planners, exercise tracking and food intake tracking. They also include healthy food descriptions such as what is considered a true organic food item. The website is very user friendly.

New York State Stats:

Dramatic increase in childhood obesity within the last 40 years.

Since the early 1970′s overweight kids among 2-5 and 6-11 years olds has doubled. Kids among 12-19 years of age has tripled.

Consumption of solid fats and sugars far exceeded all age groups allowance. (Start checking ingredient labels, the majority of food that you eat has sugars and/or solid fats in them; a huge No-No for proper body regulation).

What do these statistics add up to? Kids have adverse health effects during childhood which leads to a risk of future chronic disease in adult life. Obesity results from long term, poorly regulated energy balance, with gradual increases in body fat, as stored energy, resulting from eating way more food than they use in their physical activity or even need for metabolism and growth.

Parents are not watching what they or their kids are eating. Set an example! It all has to do with making sound decisions about what food they put in themselves and what food parents allow in their kids. It really isn’t that complicated! Why would parents put their kids in a position where they will have health problems, or set them up for future chronic diseases? I don’t understand! If a child is allowed to become obese or overweight, I see it as a mild type of child neglect. Would you allow your child to smoke knowing the future repercussions?

What can you do to reverse your child’s growing weight problem?

Call the Victor School Food Service to put a limit on the amount and food selection that your child can buy at the cafeteria’s Computerized Register.

If you are on the MyNutriKids payment program, check on what your kid is buying each week. Sit down with your child and decide on food limits. I put a limit on desserts for both my kids when they were younger. They were allowed one dessert or one item from the snack bar once a week. It was a special treat for them.

Limit the amount of money your child brings to school with them if they pay by cash or if they tend to use that money for extra food.

Sign your child up for an active sport that they enjoy. Growing up, my children were expected to play at least one sport, play a musical instrument, and join a Community oriented group (Boy Scouts and girl Scouts) every year.

Better yet, design an exercise and eating plan that you do with your child. Both of you will feel better and it will be an activity that you do together. Tennis anyone?

Terryn Maybeck is affiliated with Junior League of Rochester and Partners in Education. She has earned the Victor Citizen of the Year Award, initiated art programs and numerous fundraisers for the Victor community. Currently, she is a Reflections Program visual art judge.

"Hello, I am one of your neighbors in Victor and I live with my husband Steve, my teens Anders and Margo, and my collection of pets. I moved from the City of Rochester to the Village of Victor 13 years ago. Villages are like small cities. The houses are closer together, so neighbors get closer. People walk by my house and exchange greetings. There is always someone around when you need them.

I loved our house when we drove in the driveway- even before we toured the house- and I fell in love with the Village of Victor. After college, I volunteered in my community and I’ve never stopped- even when I had a baby on my hip. I learned so much and met so many Victor residents over the years just getting out there and pitching in. Volunteers are my favorite people- they are always kind and can always find the time to help in their busy schedules. A community cannot sustain itself without volunteers.

I formerly wrote a freelance column for the Victor Post. My business “Wild Nelly” sells my original Steampunk Jewelry and Wet Felting Designs. Please contact me about any thoughts, ideas or information you would like to share with me."